Người Elam định cư ở Susa, in what is now Khuzestan province. Their language was neither Semitic nor Indo-European, and they were the geographic precursors of the Persian/Median empire that later appeared. Some have offered evidence for a linguistic kinship between Elamite and the modern Dravidian languages of Southern India (see "Elamo-Dravidian languages") but this is not universally accepted. The proto-Elamites lived far back as 7,500 years ago in Iran. See remains here.

The Seleucid Dynasty gradually lost control of Persia. Năm 253, the Arsacid Dynasty established itself in Parthia. The Parthians gradually expanded their control, until by the mid thế kỉ 2 TCN, nhà Seleukos mất hoàn toàn lãnh thổ ở Ba Tư. There were more Seleucid rulers of Syria and, for a time, Babylonia, after Antiochus IV, but không có had any effective power in Persia).

Bản mẫu:Arsacid dynasty There were various regional client dynasties, often with significant autonomy. Like the Elymais client Kingdom that occupied the area of ancient Elam, and kingdoms of Mesene in Lower Mesopotamia and Persis (Fars) in Central Iran, as well as Adiabene in Northern Mesopotamia..

The preceding era of disunity, also called First era of fragmentation, was ended through conquest by the Ilkhans, a Mongol khanate, nominally subject to the Great Khan. (Ilkhan means governor of an il, i.e. province).

In 1410 the Turcoman horde Kara Koyunlu (Black Sheep) captured Baghdad and their leaders ruled the western parts of the Timurid realm. In the East however, Shah Rukh was able to secure his rule in Transoxiana and Fars.

After Abu Sa'id's death a fourth era of fragmentation follows. While the White Sheep Turcomans dominated in the western parts until the ascent of the Safavid dynasty, the Timurides could maintain their rule in Samarkand and Herat.

Here begins the modern history of the nation-state Iran. After the fall of the Afsharids, the eastern lands of Persia were lost to Pashtun tribes who created their own independent kingdom, which later became known as Afghanistan, however still a great portion of Afghanistan was a part of Persia, which was separated from Persia at the time of Qajars. For more information, see History of Afghanistan. The Zand kings never styled himself as "shah" or king, and instead used the title President (Vakil ar-Ra'aayaa وکیل الرعایا).